Psalms 23

Anoint my head with oil

"Sheep can get their head caught in briers and die trying to get untangled. There are horrid little flies that like to torment sheep by laying eggs in their nostrils which turn into worms and drive the sheep to beat their head against a rock, sometimes to death. Their ears and eyes are also susceptible to tormenting insects. So the shepherd anoints their whole head with oil. Then there is peace. That oil forms a barrier of protection against the evil that tries to destroy the sheep. Do you have times of mental torment? Do the worrisome thoughts invade your mind over and over? Do you beat your head against a wall trying to stop them? Have you ever asked God to anoint your head with oil? He has an endless supply! His oil protects and makes it possible for you to fix your heart, mind, and eyes on Him today and always! There is peace in the valley! May our good good Father anoint your head with oil today so that your cup overflows with blessings! God is good and He is faithful!!"

Truth

LET IT GO!

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

Remember to put the glass down!!!

God Doesn’t Know

Psalm 69:5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness;

and my sins are not hid from thee.

Psalm 139:2-4 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,

thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,

and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue,

but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

John 16:30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee:by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

One of the great attributes of God is that He knows everything. Our strengths, our weakness, our motives.

He knows every things that ever happened, is happening, or ever will happen.

Something that we may commonly over look is the fact that He also knows why everything happens.

Without seeming to speak out of turn or sacrilegious, may I offer you the thought that there are things that God in fact doesn't know:

1. GOD DOESN'T KNOW A SOUL HE DOESN'T LOVE

A. God loves the little children….ALL the children of the world.

B. God also loves the old reprobate who has thrown their best years away to sin.

C. God loves the repentant soul. 1John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

D. God also loves the one who is hell bound. 1John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

The real tragedy is that God loves, yet so many don't care!

II. GOD DOESN'T KNOW A SIN HE DOESN'T HATE

A. God hates sin because it separates you from Him. Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

B. God hates sin because it destroys.

1. Sin destroys our relationships in our homes

2. Sin destroys our relationships in our church

3. Sin destroys our relationships in the world

C. God hates sin because it kills. "…the wages of sin is death…"

It may appear that those who live in sin are not being judged, but God uses our sin to judge us.

III. GOD DOESN'T KNOW A SINNER HE WOULDN'T SAVE

Now you may offer an excuse as to why you reject His love:

"Well, preacher, God may love me, but I'm too bad to save."

"You don't know what I've done."

"If I came to your church, the roof would fall in."

"Its too late for me now."

etc….

A. Abraham was raised by his daddy to worship idols, but God saved him to be a leader

B. God saved John Newton.

IV. GOD DOESN'T KNOW A BETTER WAY OF SALVATION

Ephesians 2:4-10 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In your foolishness, you must stop trying to tell God how to save you. God saves through His rich mercy and wonderful grace!

A. There had to be a willing redeemer.

B. There has to be a willing repenter.

V. GOD DOESN'T KNOW A BETTER TIME THAN NOW

2Corinthians 6:2 For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.